The present invention relates generally to electronic mail on the Internet (also called e-mail and email), and more particularly relates to a system and methods for managing e-mail addresses to effect the delivery of e-mail messages when a subscriber abandons an e-mail address and obtains a new e-mail address, as when a subscriber changes Internet service providers (xe2x80x9cISPsxe2x80x9d).
The Internet is a collection of computers, networks, routers, and gateways that use the TCP/IP suite of protocols to connect computers all over the world. The Internet links computers together in a way such that they can transfer information to each other. Computer users often subscribe to communication services provided by an Internet Service Provider (xe2x80x9cISPxe2x80x9d) to access and utilize the Internet.
One of the popular uses of the Internet is to send and receive electronic messages, which are often referred to as electronic mail or xe2x80x9ce-mail.xe2x80x9d E-mail is a computer-to-computer version of interoffice mail or the postal service. E-mail enables computer users to send and receive messages over a computer network. Delivered messages are stored in electronic mailboxes that are assigned to users on the network. Messages received in a mailbox can be viewed, saved, or deleted by a recipient using known and popular electronic mail computer software such as CE Software""s QUICKMAIL(trademark), OUTLOOK(trademark) made by Microsoft Corporation, EUDORA(trademark) made by Qualcomm, and the like.
In order to deliver e-mail, an addressing scheme is required. Each computer on the Internet is assigned a numeric Internet protocol (xe2x80x9cIPxe2x80x9d) address, which is a part of the TCP/IP protocol. The IP address in the current TCP/IP scheme consists of four discrete numbers, each less than 256, separated by dots (e.g., 123.4.5.678). A distinct IP address is assigned to each different computer that is connected to the Internet. Because numeric IP addresses are difficult for people to remember, the custom has arisen to utilize domain names for computers on the Internet rather than the IP numbers themselves.
Typical e-mail messages are addressed to a recipient in the form of xe2x80x9cusername@domain_name.domain,xe2x80x9d where username is a form of name for a message recipient, domain_name is a lower level domain name assigned to an organization or an ISP, and domain is a top level domain name. Present top level domain names are limited and can be the U.S. government (.gov), the U.S. military (.mil), a network (.net), a commercial enterprise (.com), an educational institution (.edu), or a country (e.g., .jp for Japan or .uk for the United Kingdom). For example, Joe Smith might subscribe to Internet service provided by a commercial enterprise or ISP called xe2x80x9cBraincoil, Inc.xe2x80x9d and be given an e-mail address in the form of joe_smith@braincoil.com.
A computer called a domain name server (xe2x80x9cDNSxe2x80x9d) translates between the domain_name.domain portion of an e-mail address and the numeric Internet protocol (xe2x80x9cIPxe2x80x9d) address. When a message with an e-mail address is received at an ISP from one of its subscribers, the ISP employs a DNS to look up the numeric IP address associated with the e-mail address. Using the IP address of the message, the ISP transmits the message to an electronic device called a router, which selects one of possibly several different data communication paths connected to another computer and sends the message to the other computer. The message is passed from computer to computer, via their respective connected routers, until the message arrives at a computer associated with the ultimate intended recipient. Typically, the final computer to receive the message is a computer operated by the ISP to which the recipient subscribes. The message is then stored in a mailbox associated with the subscriber, and the subscriber is often notified via e-mail software that he or she has mail in the mailbox.
A particular problem encountered in today""s usage of the Internet is the movement of subscribers from one organization to another, such as from one ISP to another. There are many reasons for subscribers to change ISPs, including a geographical move from one part of the country to another, a change to obtain a more favorable pricing plan, and a dissatisfaction with the service provided by an ISP. Changing ISPs typically means that a subscriber""s e-mail address will change, unbeknownst to people who wish to send that subscriber a message. For example, Braincoil subscriber Joe Smith might have originally had an address such as joe_smith@braincoil.com. If Joe Smith moves his Internet service to a new and different ISP called xe2x80x9cHeadspiralxe2x80x9d, he might acquire a new e-mail address such as joe.smith@headspiral.com. Although it might be desirable to have a person keep his e-mail address on a permanent basis, the present scheme of addressing typically mandates that changing ISPs results in changing e-mail addresses.
People who wish to send Joe Smith a message may not know that Joe Smith has changed ISPs and thus has a new e-mail address. After a person changes ISPs, his old e-mail address at his old, former ISP becomes invalid. Messages sent to an invalid e-mail address typically xe2x80x9cbouncexe2x80x9d back from the intended recipient""s old ISP to the sender""s ISP. Stated in other words, the old ISP cannot deliver the message to the recipient, who is no longer a subscriber. In this case, the old ISP typically sends a predetermined message back to the sender""s ISP that the message is undeliverable. This predetermined xe2x80x9cbouncexe2x80x9d message often includes a text string containing the text xe2x80x9cmessage undeliverablexe2x80x9d. The predetermined bounce message is delivered to the sender to inform him or her that there is a problem with delivery of the message.
After a sender receives a bounce message, the sender may conduct a search on the Internet or may attempt to contact the intended recipient by other means (e.g., telephone) in order to obtain the intended recipient""s new e-mail address. If the sender succeeds in finding the new e-mail address, he can send the message again, though a delay in delivery of the message has resulted. On the other hand, if the sender cannot find the new e-mail address, then the message cannot be delivered at all.
It would be helpful if ISPs maintained a list correlating old e-mail addresses and new e-mail addresses and updated the list when subscribers terminated their subscriptions. That way, they could provide a forwarding service. However, ISPs typically have no financial incentive to forward messages intended for former subscribers. Message forwarding requires use of computer and bandwidth resources for which ISPs will typically receive no payment. Thus, a need exists for a system and methods that facilitate delivery of e-mail when a person obtains a new e-mail address and his or her old e-mail address becomes invalid.
Briefly described, the present invention comprises a system and methods for managing e-mail address changes. The preferred system comprises a computer for managing a database of stored records correlating a first e-mail address of an intended recipient to a second e-mail address of the intended recipient. A program module in the computer system is responsive to an Internet query from a sender of an e-mail message based on the first e-mail address of the intended recipient. The program module accesses the database to determine whether a second e-mail address of the intended recipient is stored in association with the first e-mail address. Another program module in the computer system, which is responsive to a determination that a second e-mail address of the intended recipient is stored in association with the first e-mail address, retrieves the second e-mail address as a response to the query. Furthermore, a program module is provided for communicating the query response to the sender.
A principal use of the invention will be in situations wherein the first e-mail address is an invalid old address associated with a former Internet service provider (ISP) of the intended recipient, and the second e-mail address is a new e-mail address associated with a new ISP of the intended recipient.
Preferably, the computer systems utilized in implementing the present invention are Internet accessible, and the query and query response are communicated via Internet messaging protocols.
According to another aspect of the invention, a computer system automatically forwards the e-mail message to the second e-mail address in response to receipt of the query response. In one embodiment, it is a computer system associated with the sender of the e-mail message that automatically forwards the e-mail message to the second e-mail address in response to receipt of the query response. More specifically, the query response is provided to an ISP associated with the sender, and the sender""s ISP autoforwards the e-mail message to the second e-mail address. Alternatively, the query response may be provided directly to the sender, and the sender""s computer is operative to readdress and resend the e-mail message.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a program module for creating a new record in the database in response to receipt of an address change request from a consumer. For security purposes, such as ensuring that address changes requests are authentic, the program module for creating a new record in the database is operative for requiring predetermined authenticating information before creating a record in the database. This authenticating information is preferably obtained from an Internet accessible authenticating authority. Various types of authenticating information may be required, such as a consumer authenticator identifying the person that requested the address change or a merchant authenticator identifying the ISP from which the address change request originated.
In embodiments of the invention that include the security features, the database stores other predetermined information in association with the first e-mail address and the second e-mail address, such other information selected from the group comprising a consumer consent, consumer authentication, and merchant authentication.
In addition to implementing the present invention with systems operative as described above, the present invention may also be embodied as computer-implemented methods for carrying out the various e-mail address management and address change operations of the invention.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a system and methods for managing e-mail addresses for situations where subscribers change ISPs and obtain a new e-mail address.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a system for e-mail address management that facilitates delivery of e-mail for new subscribers of an ISP by providing an address matching service between old e-mail addresses of subscribers and their new e-mail addresses.